The state chronicle., 1887-06-09
The Primary ie~>On>' intended
Ii In Primary -raIts eNcIu We L..

The .'Primary Lessons are intended
for in Primary grades exclusively.
They provide INSTRUCTION III Language and
Composition for children during the last
two years of a three wears or three-aud-a-
half-yearS' Primary course The book may
be put into their hands soon as they are
ready to take up a Second Reader and can
write with some degree Of facility.
Children in the grades referred to are
usually from seven to ten years of age
To make book for children of this age
the author found 1t necessary to avoid three
things: First, the use of the technical terms
OF Grammar: Second, the substitution of
circumlocutions quite as technical quite as
obscure, and much less convenient; and,
Third, the treatment of words merely
words, instead of living symbols of
thought-the winged messengers of the
mind.
These three things are not to be found in
this book as to what is, il may be summed
up under the following heads:
|. Provision is made tor the accumuia-
tiOn OF sentence types, such as children
/ can readily employ.
| ,. Equal attention i paid 10 the use OF
i oral aid OF written language.
3. Constant drill il given in the use OF
! those grammatical form. such aS the parts
| Of the more common Irregular verbs, the
/ use of prOnOunS, etc, III which mistakes are
| most commonly made.
The author says in the preface. ITO train
/ young children in the proper use of the
| and to give them facility in the OF such
sentence forms as they can readily initiate
ana employ, have been my chief objects
i I. instruction in punctuation. capital-
| iZatiOn and paragrap ing. l. Introduced
a> IT i> required. In addition IL these lap
| guage lessons there Is IL series OF compose
ton exercises. developed from pictures
and narratives in prose and verse. which
| serve the triple purpose OF reviewing the
\ language lessons, OF leading uD 10 the power
| of original expressions and of incitIng to
| thought. "To study words and sentences.
says the author in his preface, without cuI-
tivating the faculties that give substance to
| language i- to lead the mind a futile
quest What have aimed at is the devel-
1 opment Of the power of thinking along with
and through the development of the power
OF expression The one is OF little use with
out the other. Indeed, one can scarcely eN
| ist without the other. Thought claims ex-
preston; expression eNcites thought AS
thought is logical. language VIII he clear;
as thought is confused, language VIII be de
| fectlVe."
). Instruction in letter. Writin. i COM
menced early and continued to the end
OF the book. 1t Is not treated aS something
separate from ordinary composition, 1t is
| made part Of the regular work, and will
he found, as here treated one Of the most
useful and Interesting features.
&. DeScrip i've writing should in the
case OF young children. be based upon
object lessons. AS it part of the
| authors purpose to write q manual of oh iect
teaching-as an object lesson taken from
such a work and taught by rote to children,
| IS necessarily weary, stale. flat, and un
protitable"-the author has contented him
| self with giving general directions on the
| subject in the appendix. These include de
| ScriptiCnS Of actions and compositions on
familiar objects. animals and plants With
| out putting the words into the teacher :
mouth, he is told how TO give IN object les
SON and how the subject is to be worked
up for q composition. such compositions
will be introduced 1T intervals by the skilful
teacher and Will form an invaluable supple
ment to the regular ork.
I. This book is not grammar. It is
an Introduction to grammar. Its highest
g. he
scientific study of his mother tongue
For further particulars address,
}. w. THACkSTON.
General Agent, Raleigh. n. c.
MaV1o-tf